Transfer mechanism for circular knitting machines



Dec. 20, 1932. L.. N. D. WILLIAMS Filed April 17. 1929 Dec. 20, 1932.

L.. N. D. WILLAMS TRANSFER MECHANISM 'FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Filed April 17. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR Ms@ M fmmuf" Patented Dec. 20, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOUIS N. D. WILLIAMS, OF OGONTZ, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO SCOTT AND WIL- LIAMS, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS i TRANSFER MECHANISM FOR CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINES Application led April 17,

In knitting seamless hosiery such as half hose in Which the top of the stocking is knit ofV ribbed fabric and the remainder of the stocking of plain fabric, the ribbed top is frequently knit on a rib machine and then transferred to the needles of a plain machine to knit the remainder of the hose. In order to transfer the ribbed top to the needles of the second machine, it is placed on a point ring or transfer ring. This transfer ring contains a circle of quills on which the individual stitches are impaled, the ring being carried on a hinged arm or carrier fastened on the bedplate of the machine in such a manner that when the arm is swung over the needles the quills of the point ring Will be inverted over the needles of the knitting machine. The quills are then brought down onto the needles and the transfer of the stitches made. This invention relates to transfer mechanism of this type and more particularly to means for automatically bringing the needles` into accurateregistry With the quills and locking the parts of the transfer mechanism to prevent their moving at the Wrong time. According to this invention the main pattern drum controls means which prevent the inversion of the point ring to transfer position until the needle cylinder is locked against rotation, and with its needles in registry With the quills of the point ring.

The invention will be shown and described embodied in the. Well-known Scott and `Wil liams type of seamless hosiery machine with revolving needle cylinder, but it Will be understood, of course. that the invention can be applied to other types of circular machines.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of the latch ring and the locking mechanism controlling the swinging of the carrier arm in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an elevation on the right side of the machine taken on the line II-II of Fig. 1 showing the main pattern drum, needle cylinder, latch ring, carrier arm, and the mechanism interlocking same; n

lVhile 3 is an elevation partly in section taken on the line III- III of Fig. 2

1929. Serial No. 355,765.

showing the relation of the bevel gear, locking pin andl carrier arm.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the right side of the machine taken along line 2 2 of Figure 1, but showing a modified form in which the latch-ring-contr-olled locking means is omitted.

In mechanism for transferring fabric from a point ring to the needles of a circular knitting machine, such for instance as shown in the patent to Louis N. D. Williams, 1,558,136 dated October 20, 1925, there is a carrier arm 16 pivoted on an axis 15 on a bracket 14 mounted on the bedplate B of the knitting machine. This arm 16 carries the point ring 11 with its quills g. Also mounted on this bedplate B is a bracket 401 aording a pivoted support 552 for the latch ring 550, the brackets 14 and 401 in the example shown in the drawings being separated on the oircumference of the bedplate by an angle of about 1250. There is the usual main pattern drum 120 having cam surfaces 501 thereon controlling the yarn fingers and other necessary movements by means of thrust rods. This drum acts as mechanism for selecting the knitting operations in the knitting cycle. One of these thrust rods is used to control the locking of the needle cylinder against rotation.

The needle cylinder 260 with its circle of needles projects through the bedplate B of n the machine and revolves with a nhorizontal bevel gear 37 lying in the bedplate. On top of theV bevel gear is a cover Which forms part of the bedplate and does not rotate.

In order to lock the needle cylinder 260 against rotation With relation to the point ring, when it is desired to transfer the ribbed top of a mans half hose from the quills of the point ring to the needles of the machine, the bevel gear 87 has a hole 5K1 in its upper surface to receive the lower end of a locking pin 36. This pin is inserted through a hole in the cover forming part of the bedplate and the movements of the pin are controlled from a locking pin lever 42 in a manner which Will noiv be described. This lever is adapted alternately to lock the cylinder and the ring. This locking pin lever 42 is pivoted on the carrier arm bracket 14 at a point remote from the locking pin 36 and the upper end of the locking pin is pivotally connected to one arm of the lever 42 by a ring 74. There is a tension spring 50 attached between this arm of the lever 42 and a lixed portion of the machine tending to push the locking pin downwardly into the hole 51 in the bevel gear 37. To restrain this spring 50 from causing depression of the locking pin, except at the proper times, there is an arm 70 on the lever 42 projecting rearwardly from the axis thereof. This arm 70 is used to hold the locking pin 36 out of contact with the bevel gear 37 by. means ot a finger 71 pivoted on the latch ring bracket401.' One end of the linger overlies the arm 70 and the other end is pivoted to the upper end of a thrust rod 460. Vhen this thrust rod is on a cam 501 on the main while the latch ring 550 is down in operative position, means may be provided which prevent the carrier arm for the point ring being swung over the circle of needles while the latch ring is in operative position. This same .means also prevents the locking pin 36 from engaging the bevel Vgear 37. These means are controlled from the latch ring by means of a short linger 72 secured to and moving with the latch ring, which linger 72 overlies .the free end of the projecting arm of the locking pin lever 42. To lock the carrier arm against inversion there is a. vertical plunger 40 sliding loosely in a lug 4l of the carrier bracket 14 and resting on the operating lever `42. This plunger is oi such a length that when the locking pin lever 42 is in its upper or idle position, itis in the path voli a cam on the axis 15 of the carrier arm 16. @n the axis of the carrier arm 16 is a cam 39 so l0- cated and of lsuch height that when the carrier arm is inverted over the needle cylinder this cam 39 will engage the'upper end of the plunger 40 and try to shove it down. It tries to push the locking pin operating lever 42 down suli'iciently to push the locking pin 36 into the depression 51 in the bevel gear 37. Unless the 'pin 36 is in the hole 51 the cam 39 will wedge and it will be impossible to swing the carrier arm over the needle cylinder until the locking pin has locked the needle' cylinder'iag'ainst revolution.4 This insures that the needle cylinder is in register before the point ring is inverted. This arrangement has a further advantage in that since .the short linger Z2'holdsthe locking -pin operating lever 42 in its uppermost position over the needles until the latch ring is swung V up out of operative position. It will, there* fore, be seen that'with this mechanism it is impossible to invert the point ring over the needle cylinder until: First, the cycle of knitting operations of the machine is com-` pleted and the machine is ready for another stocking; second, until the latch ring is swung up out of the way; and third, until the needlecylinder has been locked against rotation with the needles in register with the position to bel assumed by the vquills 'of the point ring.

It is obvious that the lateh-ringcontrolled locking means and'its function, may be removed, if desir-ed (see Fig. 4), and the pattern controlled locking means-used alone. 0n the other hand, the latch ring locking' means may be used alone, but it is preferable to use both of the locking means, since veach contributes to complete the preparation of the machine for stitch transferl and prevent attempts to transfer when the machine 4is not ready.

The sequence of operation o t the device is as follows. The main patterndrum 120,

which is racked around intermittently to con? trol the cycle Y of the knitting operations,`

brings the cam 501 out from under the foot of the thrust rod 460 when the knitting of a stocking has been completed.' The thrust rod then drops off thefcam 501 `down on thel surface of the main pattern drum r120, Vand the finger 71 releases its grip on the projecting arm 70 of the locking pin operating lever 42. However, the projecting arm 7 O is still unable to move because of theA short finger 72' which is rigid with the latch ring 550. The operator then swings the latch ring 550 up out'of operative position which withdraws' the linger 7 2 from the projecting arm 70 and thereupon the tension spring Y50 pushes the'- locking pin 36 down against theV surface of the bevel gear 37. It is still impossible to invert the point ring Over the needle cylinder, however, because the plunger 40, does j not comeentirely below the path of the cam 39 on the carrier arm until the locking pin 36 actually enters the hole 51 in the bevel gear 37. TheV operator then turns the needle i cylinder slightly by hand until the hole 5 1 registers with the locking pin'36 and the spring 50 snaps the pin home'thus locking'` the needle cylinder and removing the plunger' 40 from thepath of the cam39.v The oper` ator may now invert the point ring over the needle cylinder at will, and the ltr'ansfer'ofV the Vstitches may beV accomplished' in any desired manner, as for instanceby the mechanism shown and described in U. S. patent to Louis N. D. Williams, Number 1,612,684,

dated December 28, 1926.v When the trans' fer has been accomplished the operator swings the carrier arm back to retracted position and loivers the latch iing 550 to operative position. This brings the short finger 'T2 into contact with the projecting arm 70 and the operating lever 42 pulls the locking pin 36 out of engagement with the bevel gear, freeing the needle cylinder for revolution and raising the plunger 40 to a position which prevents the point ring carrier arm from being again inverted over the needles. The knitting is then started. The first rack of the pattern drum will bring the cam 501 again under the foot of the thrust rod L.L lowering the finger 71 into engagement with the projecting arm 70. This insures that the locking pin 36 Will be held out of engagement with the bevel gear 37 throughout the entire knitting cycle irrespective of Whether or not the operator i'inds it necessary to raise the latch ring 5a() temporarily for the purpose of adjusting the needles or yarns. It will be readily understood however that when the pattern controlled locking means is not employed, the locking pin 35 Will not be held out of engagement with the bevel gear, in case the latch ringl is temporarily raised for adjustmentI of the needles or yarns. I therefore, prefer to use the pattern-controlled locking means with the latch-ring-controlled locking means.

Manv modifications will occur to those skilled'lin the art Which do not depart from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. In a circular knitting machine having a revoluble needle cylinder, mechanism for selecting the knitting operations, and a quilled t"ansfer ring mounted on said'ma- -e and movable into and out of position for transfei ing stitches to said cylinder, in combination with means controlled by said selecting mechanism to lock said needle cylinder against rotation and in position for the needles to register With the quills of said transfer ring during the transfer operation. ln a circular knitting machine having a revoluble needle cylinder', pattern mechanism for said machine, and a quilled transfer ring mounted on said machine and swingable from retracted position t'o position for transferring stitches to said nee lle cylinder, in combination with means controlled from the pattern drum to lock said needle cylinder against rotation and in position for the needles *o register with the quills of said transduring the transfer operation.

n a circular knitting machine having 1i, a quilled transfer ring mounted on machine and sn'ingable from retracted po tion to position for transferring stitches l needle cylinder, in combination with means controlled from the pattern drinn to lock automatically said needle cylinder in position for the needles to register With the quills of the transfer ring during the transfer operation.

Li. In a circular knitting machine having a revoluble needle cylinder, a quilled transfer ring mounted on said machine and sivingable from retracted position to position over said cylinder for transferring stitches to said cylinder, means to hold said ring from movement to transfer position mechanism for selecting the knitting operations, and means controlled from said selecting mechanism to lock said needle cylinder against rotation in position for the needles to register with the quills of said transfer ring and simultaneously to release said ring for movement to transfer position.

In a circular knitting machine having a revoluble needle cylinder, mechanism for selecting the knitting operations, and a transfer rino mounted on said machine and swingable from retracted position to position for stitch transfer to said cylinder, in combination with means adapted alternately to lock said needle cylinder against rotation and to hold said transfer ring away from transfer position, and a spring tending to cause said locking means to lock said cylinder, and means controlled by said selecting mechanism to hold said locking means with the cylder unlocked.

6. In a circular knitting machine having a revoluble needle cylinder, a transfer ring mounted on said machine and sWingable from retracted position to a position for stitch transfer t'o said cylinder, and a latch ring pivotally mounted with relation to said cylinder, in combination with means controlled by the latch ring locking said transfer ring against inversion to transfer position until said latch ring is Withdrawn from active position.

7. In a circular knitting machine having a revoluble needle cylinder, a transfer ring mounted on said machine and svvingable from retracted position to position for stitch transfer to said cylinder, and means adapted alternately to lock said needle cylinder against rotation aiid to hold said transfer ring away from transfer position, in combination With a spring tending to cause locking of said cylinc er, and mechanism for selecting the knitting operations adapted to hold said locking means with the cylinder unlocked, a latch ring pivotally mounted with relation to said cylinder and means locking said transfer ring against inversion to transfer position until said latch ring is withdrawn from active position.

8. In a circular knitting machine having a revoluble needle cylinder, a quilled transfer ring mounted on said machine and svvingable from retracted position to position for transferring stitches to said cylinder, and a springpressed pin adapted to lock said needle cylinder against rotation when the needles are in proper position for stitch transfer, in combination with mechanism for selecting the knit- C ting operations of the machine, and lever means controlled by the selecting mechanism adapted alternately to lock the needle cylinder in stitch transfer position or the transfer ring` against inversion to stitch transfer po- 179 sition. n

9. In a circular knitting machine having a revoluble needle cylinder, an arm on the bedplate oi' the machine, a point ring mounted on said arm and swingalole from retracted t5 position to a position overthe needle cylinder lfor transfer of stitches to said cylinder, in combination with means controlled by the pattern mechanism yof said machine to lock said arm with the ring in retracted position QQ andrelease it in timed relation to the knitting cycle. v

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LOUIS N. D. VILLIAMS; 

